Vehicles, such as automobiles, pick-up trucks, sport-utility vehicles, minivans, vans and other passenger vehicles, typically incorporate a variety of structural components, such as relatively rigid frame components and relatively thin body components. The number, integrity and robustness of the attachments of such components may impact the noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) characteristics of a vehicle. However, considerations such as design, packaging and manufacturing may limit those attachments. In one exemplary instance, many vehicles locate an instrument panel or cross car beam, body sheet metal, a fender and a door hinge bracket all in the region adjacent the longitudinally forward end of vehicle front door opening. In this example, while positive, robust connections of the instrument panel beam to the body sheet metal, as well as of the body sheet metal to the fender and the door hinge bracket, respectively, are desirable, there may simply not be sufficient room for placement and/or manufacturing all of the desired joints. As such, it is currently difficult to provide all attachments between vehicle structural components as desired, e.g., for managing a vehicle's NVH characteristics.